[bksvol-discuss] Re: Be mindful
- From: "Robert Riddle" <captinlogic@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:26:32 -0800
Yes Monica, you have it just right. Thank you.
----- Original Message -----
From: Monica Willyard
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 6:53 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Be mindful
Hi, Shannon. Thanks for asking about this. To me, there is a big difference
between someone not reading every word of her submission and the type of
submissions we're talking about. For example, Shelley doesn't read every book
she scans for us, but she does a rank spelling on them and does make sure the
pages are all there. Scanning is definitely her strong suit. I don't have a
problem with proofreading a book if the submitter has at least taken time to
make sure that all pages are present and that the book is generally legible
throughout. Shannon, I have seen an improvement in your scans each time you
submit, so I think you do pay attention to what you're doing. I have submitted
several books that I have run a spellchecker on, but I have not read them
because they're wish list books that don't interest me. Some people like our
wonderful Mayrie and Evan read every word of their books, and they are so
dedicated. I wish I had their time and skill.
On the other hand, I know a person who scans a book in Kurzweil. As soon as
she scans the last page, she opens her web browser and submits the file. She
doesn't check to see if she got all of the pages scanned, and she does not run
any sort of spellchecker to give her an idea of her scan quality. Kurzweil will
tell you if a page scans poorly, and this lady has turned that feature off
because she says it bothers her. To top it off, as soon as she submits her
file, she gives away her print copy, so there is no way to get missing or
garbled pages from her later. I have talked to her on the phone and pleaded
with her to hold onto her print copies just long enough for me to finish
validating. This is a real person, not a composite of what several people do.
It's gotten to the point that when I see her books on step 1, I actively avoid
them because I know I'm asking for a hassle if I take one. I used to take them
on in the belief that I was helping her and helping Bookshare. I had to reject
3 out of every five books this person works on, and that felt really bad to me.
I don't like rejecting books, anyone's books.
I know that Elizabeth is right when she talks about how experienced
validaters need to tidy up step 1 so the new volunteers won't have to struggle
with it. Yet I also feel annoyed by the fact that people like the one I've
described keep piling files like this into step 1 unchecked and unchallenged,
leaving a mess for the rest of us to clean up. I thought ignoring the problem
would work, so I did that. Then I saw 2 new validaters struggling with these
kinds of books last week. I had to change my thinking and accept what Elizabeth
had tried to tell me for several months.
To be very clear, I don't mind the mistakes that new volunteers make, and I
don't mind books that need some proofreading. It's this deliberate literary
littering that I want to resolve somehow. I'm trying hard not to bash anyone
and to make sure everyone knows that they have value as people. Even the
submitter I'm annoyed with still has value. I want the behavior to change
because it impacts a lot of people, not just her. If it didn't affect anyone
else, I'd be content to just leave the files at the bottom of the validation
pool and work on scanning my books.
Monica Willyard
solsticesinger wrote:
However, the assertion that, if we don't have time to read our books, we
shouldn't submit them really disturbed me. We are all busy, and we all only
have so much time in the day. So, if I have the time to scan, and someone
else has the time to proofread, why is that a problem? Why should someone be
told not to bother submitting something because he or she doesn't have the
time to proofread it? If that's the case, I'd better stop submitting. Lol.
Anyway, I'm just asking that we be mindful of each other's strengths and
weaknesses, and try not to devalue what other volunteers bring to the table.
Shannon
P.S. The message I'm responding to is found below.
I think if a person doesn't have time and cannot read the book while
scanning, then they shouldn't submit the books. Sometimes that works,
but I know that Mine would come up with some quirky errors if I didn't
read them, and I've seen them in some others. Please, Sharon, don't
take this personally. Others have a different opinion I am sure. But
if you really don't have time, then you really shouldn't do it. Of
course, the little money off the membership fee makes a difference, I
realize that, but if you don't have time, then scan less and take care
of as much as you can. Of course, the headers are no big deal to my
way of thinking, so if that would be the only issue, then I wouldn't
take exception. I suspect since you posted this that is the case.
Cindy Lou Ray
We are wise, not because we are women, but because we seek wisdom.
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